Brazilian Man Sentenced in U.S. for Laundering Millions Linked to PCC Drug Network Federal
BRAZILIANCRIME
Image: Thief with handcuffs, holding money and credit money. Source: www.freepik
A Brazilian man has been sentenced in the United States for running a multimillion‑dollar money‑laundering operation tied to drug trafficking and the PCC criminal faction in Brazil. According to federal prosecutors, the network relied on couriers, banks, cryptocurrency and shell companies to disguise profits from narcotics sales and funnel the money overseas.
Ygor Fokin Saviolli, 35, was identified as the operational leader of the scheme, which moved more than $30 million across multiple U.S. cities before sending the funds to Brazil. He pleaded guilty earlier this year and has now been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Saviolli collected drug‑sale proceeds directly and used digital assets and fraudulent businesses to transfer the money abroad, helping sustain the PCC’s financial structure. The case marks the U.S. judicial conclusion of a transnational investigation that also remains active in Brazil under the Federal Police’s Operation Exchange.
Five additional defendants were sentenced in connection with the scheme:
Gabriel Cezar Menezes – 7 years and 10 months
Omar Aliperti de Mello Correa – 2 years and 6 months
Leandro de Ávila Gonçalves – 2 years
João Andrade de Mello – 1 year and 1 day
Tadeu Sebastiane Rabelo Alves Barbosa – 1 year and 1 day
U.S. immigration authorities say all of the Brazilian defendants were living in the country unlawfully. Their convictions place them under federal custody, and immigration attorneys note that after serving their sentences, they will likely face removal proceedings.
The case was investigated by the FBI with support from the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations, part of a joint task force targeting cartels, international trafficking networks and large‑scale money‑laundering operations.